Mover Draining Propane Tank Ignites Fire at Irvine Apartment : Accident: He breaks his leg escaping the blaze, which destroyed the contents of the residence.

A mover attempting to drain a small propane tank on an apartment balcony Thursday inadvertently ignited a fire that destroyed the contents of the residence, fire officials said.

As the propane gas erupted in flames, the mover, Brad Ansell, jumped from the balcony and broke his leg, according to Orange County Fire Capt. Dan Young.

Ansell, 32, of Redondo Beach, was treated for the broken leg at the scene by paramedics and then taken to the Healthcare Medical Center of Tustin. There were no other injuries, but the fire caused about $80,000 in damage to the second-floor apartment and its contents, Young said.

About 1:30 p.m., Ansell and his partner had just begun removing the belongings of Joe and Kelly Bien from the Windwood Knoll Apartments on Flagstone when Ansell discovered a five-gallon propane tank that was probably used in a gas grill, Young said.

Ansell told fire officials he took the tank out onto the balcony and began releasing the propane.

But unlike natural gas, Young said, propane “is not some innocuous material. You can’t just release it into the atmosphere. It is unlike natural gas in that it is not lighter than air. When you release it, it goes to the low point of the area and collects in pockets. . . . It will sit there for days. It doesn’t just go away.”

What happened next, Young said, was that the propane seeped into the Biens’ apartment and within minutes entered the vents of a hot-water-heater closet, where it ignited.

Instead of an explosion, Young said, when leaked propane gas ignites, “you get this huge whoosh.”

Firefighters brought the blaze under control in less than half an hour.

Nearly all of the Biens’ belongings were destroyed in the blaze, Young said. The second mover, Robert Wilson, was on the steps to the apartment when the fire broke out.

Young urged anyone wishing to get rid of propane to “stop by any propane facility. Any company would be glad to take it.”